Rambler Style Homes in Washington DC Metro Area

One of the most common suburban home styles in the Washington metropolitan area is the Rambler. Usually associated with the post World War II era, Rambler homes became quite popular in the 1950's through the early 70's and continue to be a viable style, even today. You won't see nearly as many new construction Ramblers these days, chiefly a function of their single-story nature which can impact the number of rooms. Still, there has been a revival trend growing – these wide, low-slung homes are being bought, opened up and modernized and you'll even see some new custom variations.

Search Rambler Style Homes in Washington DC Metro Area

One of the most commonly asked home style questions in the Washington Metro marketplace is what exactly is a Rambler and what makes it different from a Ranch-style or Rancher? For some, it's simply a matter of interpretation. The ranch or prairie-style home began out west and migrated east over time. The name Rambler has sometimes been adopted as a regional preference and sometimes speaks to an actual distinction. So here's the scoop – Ramblers get the name from the 'rambling L' – they have a footprint that 'rambles away' from the standard rectangle. Also, while Ranchers can sometimes include a second story, a true Rambler is always a single floor home.

Where are you most apt to find Rambler homes in the Washington metropolitan area? Anywhere there's a suburb and especially where you find subdivisions and master planned communities from the post war period. That especially includes neighborhoods in Arlington, the western part of Alexandria, and Fairfax County. These homes were popularized as a response to the norm – Colonial and other traditional styles had long ruled the day and homeowners wanted something different. These simple single-family detached homes espoused a certain emerging baby boomer attitude. The war years had been hard, the country was getting back to work and the American Dream included leisure time, ease of living, a TV in the den and an easy-to-maintain yard.

While the typical Rambler home is single story with a simple L or uneven U-shape, you'll often find variations. Whether a particular area favors one term or architectural definition really isn't the point when it comes to finding the house you want to live in – Ramblers are synonymous with a certain suburban era and style and you're apt to find them in clusters. Like most home styles in Washington Metro there's a range of prices, from $100,000 to just under $2 million. For the most part however, Rambler prices settle into a comfortable low-to-mid six figure range with location playing a major factor in median values.

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Listing information last updated on December 19th, 2018 at 3:00am EST.